GAMBLING FACILITIES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19203, 20 June 1924, Page 2

GAMBLING FACILITIES.

PROPOSED INCREASE IN' NEW ZEALAND.

A PETITION OP PROTEST. A meeting of those sympathetic with the anti-gambling pelitisii that has been circulated this week in Dunedin was held in the Central Mission Social Hall yesterday afternoon. The Rev. If. E. Bcllhouse presided, and explained that the object of the gathering was to present to members of Parliament a petition protesting 1 against, the proposal, which they understood was to he brought forward next session, that Parliament should extend the gambling facilities now in vogue. Although it had been in circulation only two days the petition contained no lower than 211 signatures, including those of leading professional men, representative manufacturers, managers of important companies, and individually important business men. They felt this petition was a very weighty one, and ought to have due consideration given it. Similar petitions had been circulated and signed in the northern centres. They were not asking for the suppression of any gambling facilities at present in ex'sience, but only that these be not extended. They also desired that the restrictions placed on the nross in 1907 should not be removed. a s the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association desired. They desired the right to publish totalisntor dividends and also to be allowed to emplov tipsters on their staffs. Those supporting the petition were convinced that the removal of these restrictions would conduce to the spread of the gamtiling passion. They contended that the Government had no right to extend the present gambling facilities. There were already 233 racing days in Now /.calami. In 1914 under £2,000,000 was spent in gambling. Last year no less than five times that amount was spent. They felt those wore portentous figures, and they asked that personally and as members of Parliament their representatives in Parliament should support the petition. The wording of the petition is as follows :

‘'Wo. tho undersigned business meh of Dunedin, viewing the financial position of the dominion and the Empire, are opposed to any extension of gambling facilities. We believe that, existing race days are. if anything, excessive, and that redistribution is ' the utmost that ought to ho contemplated. We also believe that'the existing restrictions imposed on the press should, in the. general interest, bo maintained. Mr O. Todd, representing _ the business men who had signed the petition, said that if the petition had been for the suppression of racing altogether he would not have been there. In present circumstances racing would go on. and the question was how best to control it. He attended rare meetings himself, but the, time had come when severe restrieiions should he placed on the gambling facilities in the community. He did not know- why the papers wanted to have tipsters. Out of 27 tips in a. northern paper seven were successful, and anybody following them all would have lost i>l4. ’lf a man could pick winners he would not need to be a tipster. Ho could make so much money he would not need to work at all. Gambling on our racecourses had assumed too big pronortions. The only form of gambling should be a cosh machine. Otherwise boys and girls in shops and factories and elsewhere were being continually tempted to gamble. The punishment should bo made to fit the crime, and then broaches of the law would be checked. Over 400 cases of embezzlement and theft were before the courts last year, and many of those were associated v. : gambling.' No sane man went on the race course with the idea of making irioney on the average. There were sufficient race days anil gambling facilities at present, and instead of opening the door wider they should close it, tighter. Mrs Leech, representing the Dunedin branch of the National Council of Women, which is composed of representatives of 16 women’s societies of this city, said that several of these societies had already forwarded to the Government strong protest agahi.-t ‘‘extending the facilities New Zealand for gambling on horse races.” The council very emphatically endorsed the protest made 'ihat afternoon against any extentiou of facilities for gambling on horse racing, against the, increasing the days devoted to' this, and against the publication in the daily press of the totalisutor dividends, , It had hitherto h-sen the proud boast of Now Zealand that this particular belting news had been kept out of the newspapers, and women voters would not relinquish the privileged position. I*. 0 . 1 * whose benefit was it proposed to publish them now? Racing men and bookmakers obtained the information they required quite freely, so it could not be for their information. Gratuitous publication of dividends, etc., could only be as an advertisement for Government totalisator receipts, and as members of the National Council of Women they protested against the exploitation of the homes of the people for the benefit of revenue. They fully recognised that horse racing was a national sport, but that was no reason why it should be a national vice. They considered that as it look place on 289 days during the year that was sufficient for New’ Zealand population to adequately enjoy It. Money spent on betting and attending race meetings was unproductive—the money was needed for expansion of trade—and many families in all stations of life wore reduced to misery and poverty, and what was worse, the unhealthy excitement was a disturbing clement in life. One did not need to bo a social worker to see how rampant was this vice among all sections of the nation —among women as well. Once the vice had seized on the individual nothing was sacred-- home, comfort, health, family happiness, prospects of the children wore all sacrificed to the insensate illusory hope of making a fortune. She was there on behalf of (he National Council of Women to protect the homes of the nation from extending this alluring and insidious evil.

The Chairman then presented the petition to Mr Sicley. Mr Si dev said it was the duly of every member of Parliament to present a petition received from’Jus constituents whether he agreed with it or not. He was sure his colleagues in tho representation of the city would he quite pleased to associate themselves with him in presenting tho petition. There were two principles involved in tho request. One wa.s that apart from tho moral aspect and purely from tho business point of view there should be no increase_ of gambling facilities. The second principle ’enacted at the time, of the 1907 Act was that while tho legislature recognised this as a national pastime it was determined as far as possible to confine it to the racecourse. He would be very pleased to take charge of the petition and assist it in every way possible.

Messages of apology and also expressing sympathy with tho movement were received from the Hon. C. E. Stathanl and Mr J. M. Dickson, M.U’s. The Hon. G. M. Thomson said his altitude on this question was pretty well known in Dunedin —that of uncompromising hostility to gambling in every form. They in tlie Upper House had not the same opportunities as the Lower House of dealing with this matter. One had only to travel up and down this country to find that a large proportion of tho travelling public were, racing men. They were a curse to the community, parasites, and there was not a single working man among them. He would certainly do his host to have them eliminated. He had three times seen the Derby run. Ho had never been on the racecourse in Now Zealand because lie did not like tho company there. Any increase in gambling facilities wa.s dem’dedly against the morality and the business interests of the community and he would certainly oppose it to the best of his ability,.